Title: Pourquoi la planche ?
Description: ...et comment ?
Description: ...et comment ?
BossOnline - April 10, 2007 12:58 AM (GMT)
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| WELCOME TO WINDSURFING Six great reasons why windsurfing is good for you... - - - - - - - - - - - Windsurfing is a unique sport; - exciting but not dangerous - - colourful and spectacular - - challenging whatever your level - - great whatever the weather. There really is nothing quite like it! Windsurfing is many things to many people - escapist evenings at the local lake, summertime family fun at the beach, cruising missions to explore harbours and coastlines, weekend racing at the club, high speed thrills in stronger winds, a platform for hot-dogging and skateboard style tricks, charging around in and out of the surf at beaches around our coastline - or risking life and limb in the pursuit of giant waves off Hawaiian coasts... An excellent beach toy - or an aerodynamic, hydrodynamic, hi-tech projectile capable of 50mph and more But it's still windsurfing. Whatever your age, ability and requirements, it has something for you. It's no wonder that windsurfing has seen such a meteoric rise in popularity in its short history. In 1968, there were only 12 boards in existence. Now there are millions - and the sport continues to go from strength to strength, with recent major breakthroughs in both board and sail design making it all even easier. Consequently, more and more people are discovering - or indeed rediscovering - this great outdoor activity. It’s cheap compared to other watersports, easier than ever to learn, very probably the safest of all the ‘adrenaline sports’ out there in terms of actual risk to life and limb (but still right up there in terms of yeehaaa factor!) - and above all, great fun. Six good reasons why windsurfing is for you: Windsurfing Has Something for Everyone! The main attraction of windsurfing is its enormous diversity and the challenges it offers to all levels of sailor. At any beach or lake you will see beginners rubbing shoulders with intermediates and experts, but they're all out there enjoying themselves equally. Whether you're 8 years old or 80, taking your first precarious steps on a beginner's board or working out how to pull off the latest radical freestyle manouevre or aerial trick, the sense of achievement is unsurpassed. Windsurfing is Not All Just Getting Wet! The popular image of windsurfers always falling in all the time is now obsolete - the modern equipment is so much easier to use that getting wet occurs far less frequently, even at the learning stage. Obviously it still does happen; indeed, the occasional ducking is part of the fun of the sport - how many other activities can you think of where you can crash at 30mph and come up laughing? That’s one of the great things about windsurfing; the wipe-outs don’t hurt! Windsurfing has Never Been So Easy! Another big plus point is the steepness of the learning curve. Boards nowajours are much wider than their predecessors from yesteryear and consequently much more stable, while sails are also lighter and more controllable than ever. Rather than those awkward hours wobbling around on a precarious platform trying to pull the sail out of the water, the modern teaching methods see you starting off on a super-wide and stable design with which to master the basics, and then moving on to shorter, more manoeuvrable boards when you’re ready for it. A few jours under the guidance of a qualified Royal Yachting Association instructor will see the complete novice progress to the point where they are happily skimming back and forth in relative control, pulling off respectable turns and remaining relatively dry. Windsurfing doesn’t require Superhuman Strength! You don't need the athletic prowess of a decathlete or the body of a Greek god to enjoy windsurfing. Technique plays a greater part than strength, so women and children learn just as quickly and easily as strong men. The equipment is so much lighter than in the early jours, making the boards and rigs easy to carry and handle once on the water. Sails are available in all shapes and sizes from two to twelve square metres, so it's simply a question of selecting the model that matches your weight, strength and stature to the prevailing conditions. Windsurfing is Good For You! Both physically and mentally - windsurfing is definitely good for you. Even in the lightest of winds, windsurfing is a mobile and active enough sport to leave you pleasantly exhausted at the end of a good day. Windsurfers tend to sleep very soundly! Regular windsurfing can keep you in very good shape. It works a lot of major muscle groups, and you can make it as strenuous as you want - windsurfing at Olympic level is reckoned to be the most arduous sport in the entire games. It's good for the head too. You can empty your mind of all other worries and stresses while you're out on the water; just enjoy the sensations of being afloat. It's very much a feelgood sport. Windsurfing is A Sociable Sport! Windsurfers are in general a very nice bunch of people; Aideful and always willing to chat. Windsurfing with other people adds even further to the enjoyment; big grins as you pass each other on the water, and lots of encouragement and advice available when trying new techniques or tricks. For many UK sailors the annual windsurfing holiday overseas is a high point of the year; jetting off to hot climes with a bunch of friends or perhaps people you really don’t know that well - who cares; you have a strong common bond in your shared love of this sport. Great jours blasting over blue water, and great evenings too. Buzzing after a good day, regaling your pals with your lurid descriptions of the moves you pulled off and the ones that got away, and listening with enjoyable scepticism to their equally tall stories. Apres-surf is as good as any apres-ski! |
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| WINDSURFING IN LIGHT WINDS Learning, cruising, exploring, summertime fun - the windsurfer is an ideal platform for some great times on the water... - - - - - - - - - - - Windsurfing comes in two basic forms. In winds stronger than about 10mph (the ‘top end’ of a Force 3), there is enough power to push the board up ‘onto the plane’, getting it skimming over the surface of the water like a wakeboard or waterski. Whereas in lighter winds and not planing, the board sits more in the water, and travels somewhat more slowly and sedately. These two contrasting sides of the sport look very different, and it may appear that all the fun and excitement is confined to higher wind planing sailing, and the newcomer should be aiming to get to the required ability level as soon as possible. But this isn't actually the case - a large proportion of windsurfers sail in light winds only and still enjoy themselves immensely. Ideal stronger-wind conditions are less frequent anyway, particularly if you live inland - whereas there will be countless warm weather jours (and those wonderful long summer evenings) with just a gentle breeze blowing which are just ideal for pottering about on a bigger board, simply enjoying the feeling and fun of being afloat. Windsurfing offers unlimited freedom and enjoyment. Us Brits are a seafaring nation at heart anyway, and the windsurfer is by far the most convenient and easy way to get out there onto the water. Pottering around on a warm summers day, maybe with someone else sitting on the board with you. (Or something - dogs really seem to dig windsurfing too!) Go for a cruise somewhere further afield - across to the other side of the harbour, around the island or further up the lake (why not take some sandwiches with you!?). Try things out, improve those techniques, see just what you can do with a board and sail. There's always something else to try - even the very best British sailors would be hard pushed to say that they have fully mastered every aspect of light wind sailing. Especially since there are a wealth of tricks and 'freestyle' moves which can be enjoyed in light winds, such as sailing the board backwards or from the wrong side of the sail. It’s fun, and improves your board handling and general competence too. And then there's the more competitive side to the sport - can you sail faster than your friend? Perhaps even try some racing at the local club? Whatever your tastes, you’ll be having fun. Get in to windsurfing - get out there on to the water! |
BossOnline - April 10, 2007 01:05 AM (GMT)
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| WINDSURFING IN STRONG WINDS When the Adrenaline Really Starts to Flow... - - - - - - - - - - - Once you’ve mastered the basics, it’s time to progress on to the more challenging stuff. Planing time! Skimming over the water in stronger winds, using a harness rather than your arms to take the weight of the sail, and with your feet snug in the footstraps, giving you maximum control over the board. A whole new set of sensations and performance! Almost all the modern ‘entry-level’ boards offer very good planing performance in stronger winds while also providing stacks of stability for learning the basics, so your gear will ‘progress’ with you as your technique improves. And once the harness and footstraps have been mastered you can also start checking out the higher and more exciting performance levels offered by smaller boards, which give better and easier handling in stronger winds, higher speeds and a responsive, manoeuvrable feel underfoot than the bigger board you first learned on. The most common form of planing sailing is what we simply call BLASTING. In the footstraps, in the harness, and go baby go. Enjoy the speed, the wind in your face, and the sensation of the board clattering over the water... And blasting can be VERY FAST INDEED. Windsurfers are only a fraction behind the very fastest time ever recorded by a sail-powered craft on the water, clocking speeds of nearly 50mph! Ok, that was on specialist ‘speed-sailing’ kit, but most modern short boards can easily cruise at anything from 15mph to 30mph, depending on your skills and fear threshold. Think of that next time you're doing 30mph in your car. You could be doing that without an engine... Sailing flat out, right on your limits, as fast as physically possible, in close proximity to others all working equally hard - the adrenaline rush is indescribable. Yet this happens every windy weekend when a bunch of windsurfers get out there... You feel every little bump in the water, the rig is straining against your hands. You feel right on the edge of control. Yet you ARE in control! The slightest twitch of your feet makes the board alter course - instant response. Can you go faster still? Or should you slow down?? You decide. You can do anything you want Suddenly, a piece of chop looms up in front of you, presenting a perfect launching ramp... HIT IT Windsurfers can fly - and regularly do. The top sailors can jump their board 50' into the air, pull off perfect somersaults - even two or three - land back on the water and sail away without even getting their hair wet. You've maybe seen windsurfers jumping on TV... It's not impossible. There are thousands of people in the UK who 'log airtime' on their windsurfers. It could be you. And then there’s the cornering. One of the great joys of short board sailing is the incredible turning ability of these modern masterpieces. You can crank them around through 180° incredibly stylishly and quickly on a breath-takingly tight radius using the 'carve gybe' manoeuvre. Once you've cracked the carve gybe, the thrill of short board sailing can become as much about manoeuvring as simply sailing in a straight line. And talking of manoeuvring, wait till you see the hotshots doing high wind "freestyle". The sport has recently seen a whole new style of trick sailing evolve, borrowing moves and techniques from other adrenalin sports such as skateboarding and snowboarding. These moves may be for experts only, but they’re amazing to witness. And it gets even more mad when sailing in waves and swell. Turn on a wave like a skateboarder on a ramp. Surf it and hit the lip just like surfers do. But then - unlike the surfers - you don't have to paddle back out. You have your own motor. Sheet in and sail away. Back out for the next wave. You’re in control. And you have all this to look forward to... |
BossOnline - April 11, 2007 01:34 AM (GMT)
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| THE WINDSURFING BOARD Understanding the different types of board available... - - - - - - - - - - - With so many different types and sizes of windsurfing board available, the sport might seem just a little confusing at first encounter. Fortunately, it's not as complicated as it seems; the boards are all for fairly specific roles and the large majority are aimed at the more experienced sailor. So the choice for the first time sailor is fairly simple! We go into greater detail about the options for first time board buyers later in this supplement, but to ensure you have at least some idea as to what is going on when you’re next in a windsurfing shop or at a popular windsurfing location, here’s a very quick guide to the various types of boards available, starting with the biggest and working down in size. When we say ‘size’, we actually mean either volume or width (these two quantities being very much inter-related). Once upon a time boards were categorised very much by length, but nowajours pretty much every board on the market is under 3m in length (great for carrying in the back of a hatchback car!), and length has very little bearing on performance. Just bear in mind that any board longer than about 3m is at least 3 years old or more, and will almost certainly not offer all the benefits of modern boards that we’ve described elsewhere in this magazine... First-Time/Family/Fun boards Wide, stable and usually with a soft deck and some sort of daggerboard or centre fins to give more stability, these boards are designed as the ideal first time purchase, to offer good fun and performance in light-moderate wind conditions. Formula Boards The modern race boards - up to a metre wide, and short. They’re designed for planing racing upwind and downwind, carrying sails of up to 12.5m (i.e. huge!). Not suitable for first timers! Recreational Short Boards We then have a huge hotch-potch of designs covering the requirements of all-round recreational sailing in planing winds - many of the bigger ones giving a reasonable modicum of light wind performance too. These boards span a wide range of volumes and widths, and within this section of the market there are numerous sub-groups and classes focussing on specific sail sizes or wind strengths (as described below), but the boundaries between these groups are very grey and ever changing. Fortunately, you won’t need to worry about making sense of it all for a while as your first time board will do you very nicely for your first season or so - when the time does come to consider purchasing a board more orientated towards performance in stronger winds we recommend you read our regular BOARDS Magazine tests to find out what the best solution will be for your particular requirements. However, just so you don’t get too baffled by the jargon, the three basic types of recreational short boards can be summarised as follows: Freeride Boards: Most of the larger designs in the ‘recreational short board’ group are designed to offer ‘Freeride’ performance to at least some degree - it’s a phrase you’ll hear very often in windsurfing. Freeriding refers to simply ‘blasting’ back and forth at speed, which is basically what the vast majority of windsurfers do for the vast majority of their sailing time. A good freeride board is thus one that offers good control, a fast, comfortable ride, good/easy cornering, and the ability to cope with a wide range of wind and water conditions. Slalom boards are essentially competition freeride boards in that they too are for fast straight line sailing, but tweaked to offer maximum speed, at the loss of some user-friendliness. (In simplest terms, they’re usually narrower!). Freestyle Boards It sounds similar to Freeride, but it’s actually almost the opposite. A good freestyle board is one which offers a manoeuvrable platform for doing tricks on. Most recreational short boards have some degree of freestyle performance built in - and while you may not be thinking about trying tricks just yet, a prime requirement of a good freestyle board is that it is very stable, which is in itself of huge benefit to the inexperienced sailor. So freestyle boards do have a high relevance to intermediates, and can work well as a first purchase in this smaller (110L and less) board size. Wave Boards Windsurfing in waves, swell or just big chop is extremely exciting, and thus most competent windsurfers with access to coastal sailing will have a ‘wave board’ in their quiver for those jours when the swells are rolling in. Or just for when it’s really really windy - to deliver maximum manoeuverability wave boards are the smallest boards in common use, and thus also offer the best control when it’s all just a bit mad out there. Sailing a wave board is the most technically demanding area of the sport however, so it isn’t something you should be thinking about yet - although if you’re really keen, you could be at a suitable ability level for it in just a couple of seasons... And the various combos... Because most competent windsurfers enjoy more than one of these three types of sailing, many boards are designed to cater for more than one of the groups. So you may well come across boards categorised as "freestyle-wave", "ride & style (i.e.; freeride & freestyle), or even "three-style". While these boards may not work quite as well in any particular discipline as a specialist board designed specifically for that role, their general versatility is of great benefit, particularly for those people who don’t want to have to own a whole ‘quiver’ of different styles of board! YOU MAY ALSO COME ACROSS: Old-style All-round Boards As mentioned elsewhere, anything longer than about 3m, with a daggerboard, is an all-round/family fun board from yesteryear. There are still plenty of these boards out there, and they work fine. Indeed, boards like these have introduced countless thousands of people to the sport very successfully. They are now circulating on the second hand market, and often at an excellent price. If you can’t run to the price of a new board package then they’re well worth considering, particularly the most recent models such as the F2 Phoenixes, Hifly Magnums or Bic Veloces. The only real difference between these and the modern equivalents is a slight lack of stability (and often a degree of weight). Race Boards Also now no longer made, but still popular on sheltered waters (particularly inland), the long (370-380cm) race board, with its sliding mast track and huge daggerboard, can be raced on in any wind strength. The current Olympic windsurfer class board is of this variety, and for the competent sailor these machines offer tactical, exciting racing. All windsurf boards used to be this shape once upon a time! Although long and voluminous, boards such as these are not ideal learning platforms; they’re relatively fragile, bristle with technical fittings and are basically too big and bulky to be comfortable for first-timers. |
BossOnline - April 12, 2007 01:35 PM (GMT)
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| THE WINDSURFING RIG All about masts, booms and sails... - - - - - - - - - - - The factor that makes windsurfing unique as a sailing sport is the ‘universal joint’ which connects the board and rig, allowing the sail to freely pivot in any direction. This gives you an extraordinary degree of control. By moving the rig around you can steer the board, accelerate, decelerate or whatever. Hang under it while you jump. Lay it down in to the water to completely turn off the power when you want a rest. Or use it to pull you up and out of the water. The rig itself is very light yet very strong, and breaks down into its four main component parts (the mast, boom, mastfoot and sail) which are easily carried and fit comfortably into the back of a car, again unlike virtually any other sailing sport! Windsurfing sails are typically made up of a combination of Monofilm (a clear PVC film), Dacron (woven polyester) and Mylar (polyester film sandwich) panels, sewn and/or taped together. Like boards, sails come in many shapes and sizes. You choose the sail size and style to suit the conditions. Choosing Size Unlike boards, getting the right size of sail is not a case of ‘big is beautiful’ for the beginner. You want a sail that delivers enough power to move you around, but not enough to give you a hard time! It should offer enough ‘pull’ for you to comfortably lean back and balance against, but not be too big and heavy to lift out of the water. A good all-round sail size for most beginners is somewhere in the 5.0-6.5 square metre range, which is suitable for any wind from light up to Force 4-5. However, in stronger breezes a sail of this size will create too much power and pull, so you simply ‘change down’ to a smaller size. The point at which this happens is very much determined by your bodyweight and strength - a heavier and/or stronger sailor can hold on to a bigger sail in stronger winds than a smaller person - but ultimately all windsurfers will eventually have to 'change down' to a smaller sail as the wind gets stronger. This is why more experienced windsurfers will own a range of different sizes of sail (a "quiver" of sails), to have the right size for whatever the wind conditions. There are sails available in all sizes from as small as 2.5m (for experts sailing in gale force conditions) to as large as 12.5m ( for racers wanting to go as fast as possible in very light winds). So, whatever your height, weight and strength, you will be able to find a sail size to suit the conditions perfectly. Choosing Style There is also a wide range of sail styles available. All sails (apart from a few specifically for children, complete beginners or hardcore wavesailors) have full-length battens to provide a structural skeleton, transforming the sail into something which performs like a solid wing. The battens ‘rotate’ around the mast when you tack or gybe and the wind is then blowing on to the other side of the rig, which preserves the smooth aerodynamic shape of the sail. Sails are available with anything from 4 battens up to 8 battens - the more battens the sail has, the more stable and rigid it becomes, but likewise the more heavy, stiff and unwieldy it feels. For the first time purchase a modern ‘rotational’ sail with 5 battens is light and easy to handle, and more than stable enough for beginner/intermediate use. How Do Sails Work? Don’t worry about it - you don’t need to know at this stage! In fact, you don’t really need to know any theory to enjoy windsurfing. The Names Like any sport, windsurfing has its fair share of jargon. Most is pretty self-explanatory, but sails do have some technical terms (carried across from yachting) which won’t be familiar to the newcomer. So here’s a quick guide to what each part of the rig is called: The Mast Masts come in various standard lengths to suit the various sizes of sail, and are made with a mix of glass-fibre and carbon. The higher the carbon content the lighter the mast, making it easier and more responsive to use but more expensive. However, a lighter rig is much easier to handle, so it’s a wise investment to go for the best, lightest mast you can afford. A very minimum of 30% carbon in a mast is advisable for newcomers to the sport, but really, the more the better. All modern masts can be split into two parts for easier carrying and storage. The Mast Foot/Base The mastfoot fits in the bottom of the mast, and includes a rubber or mechanical universal joint (UJ) which connects into the ‘deckplate’, bolted into a slot in the board's deck. The mast base may also include an adjustable mast extension, or one can be added if the mast proves too short for the sail. The Boom The boom is made up of two wishbone-shaped aluminium or carbon tubes connected by moulded plastic or metal end fittings. Again, carbon booms are lighter but more expensive, and the benefits of a lighter boom aren’t as notable as with masts, so an alu boom is fine for 1st timers. The front end fitting clamps to the mast at around shoulder height, and the sail is then attached to the boom's rear end by the outhaul line, which can be adjusted as necessary to alter the trim of the sail. Booms are adjustable in length so that they can be used with different |
BossOnline - April 16, 2007 08:40 PM (GMT)
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| WINDSURFING ACCESSORIES A quick guide to some of the other bits and piece you may or may not be needing... - - - - - - - - - - - Wander into any windsurfing shop and you'll be amazed at the abundance of accessories available. Some are vital while others are pure luxuries, so here’s a quick guide to what you’ll need... A Wetsuit You need a wetsuit to windsurf in Britain. Even on a hot summer day the windchill and repeated immersion in the water can cool you down very quickly if you're not properly protected. Whereas with the right wetsuit you can sail all day long without any feeling of chilliness. The modern wetsuit is a sophisticated and efficient piece of kit, light weight and stylish too. For summer use you can get away with a relatively thin suit with short arms, but for colder weather a thicker and fully waterproof winter suit is essential. The most important consideration in buying a wetsuit is fit. It doesn't matter how expensive or sophisticated the suit, if it don't fit right it ain't going to keep you warm. The ideal wetsuit is one that fits so snugly that there is hardly any room for water inside - if the suit is too big water can wash through every time you fall in, draining away your valuable body heat. So be sure to try on a good selection before you buy, ideally from a proper windsurfing shop as they will be able to advise exactly on the right sort of suit and fit for your requirements. Windsurfing wetsuits are cut specifically to allow room in the right places - a surfing suit or all-purpose suit will be much less comfortable. (We ran a feature on summer wetsuits in the May 2004 edition of BOARDS - back copies available online at www.boards.co.uk/magazine). Buoyancy Aids In the early days of learning a buoyancy aid does wonders for your confidence as well as providing an element of safety. On some inland waters you're not allowed to sail without one. Prices start at around £35. Shoes and Boots Unless you're lucky enough to sail from a sandy beach, a pair of rubber-soled neoprene boots or rubber surf slippers are essential to protect those tootsies from rocks and shingle, the cold, and of course the numerous hard bits on the deck of the board that it is all too easy to stub toes on! Prices for shoes and boots vary from £7 to £40 depending on the level of protection and comfort offered. Avoid anything too bulky as they'll make getting into the footstraps more difficult later on in your windsurfing career. Gloves Gloves are generally considered to be more of a hindrance than a help, even for beginners! They might seem an obvious requirement for colder weather, when unprotected hands suffer from wind chill and exposure. However, they make gripping the boom hard and tiring work for the forearm muscles and most windsurfers prefer to go without. Harnesses and harness lines The harness isn't something required by the novice windsurfer - it’s only for sailing in stronger winds, allowing you to take the strain of holding the sail with your bodyweight rather than just your arms by ‘hooking in’ to the 'harness line' - a loop of plastic-coated rope attached to the boom (one on each side). There are a variety of styles available each with their own advantages (including designs specifically for women and children), so when you’re ready to progress to stronger wind sailing talk to your retailer about what will be best for you, and try a few on to see how they vary in terms of comfort. Roof Rack and Straps Unless you have a van or trailer to carry your board in you're going to need a good quality roof rack and a set of sturdy straps. Most modern cars now have their own proprietary ‘gutter system’, which usually means a specific model of roofrack is required - if your car dealer can’t help, Halfords sell a good variety, or go to a specialist manufacturer like Thule who make excellent racks for just about all makes of motor. (Ask them to fit it!). If you intend to lock the board on to the roofrack with a padlock and chain you’ll need a roofrack-to-car locking device too, required by most insurance companies if you want anti-theft insurance for your board. The racks on a car roof should be positioned as far apart as is practical. Place the board on the rack nose forward and deck down. If you have two boards to transport put one on top of the other. Use proper roofrack straps (NEVER USE BUNGEE CORDS!!!!), and double check that the rack and rack straps are tightly fastened before setting off . Every year there are accidents with racks and boards coming off car roofs while speeding down the motorway! |
BossOnline - April 25, 2007 10:30 PM (GMT)
Extrait de Waterstart.net
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SENSATIONS La planche à voile procure rapidement des sensations, et chaque étape de l'apprentissage procure du plaisir 1er stade : la découverte Au départ, c'est une activité vraiment zen. On est là, au milieu de l'eau, au soleil, avec une douce brise dans le dos, la vie est belle. On a le temps de réfléchir, pas de montre au poignet, pas de bruit, proche de la nature. Comme le pédalo, sauf que y a pas besoin de pédaler, et que le pédalo, c'est à la portée du premier imbécile venu. Le plaisir de la ballade. Physiquement, le corps s'adapte. Il vous pousse des muscles que l'on ne soupçonnait même pas. Les premières sessions un peu physiques (c'est-à-dire avec du vent) vous laissent courbaturé plusieurs jours. Ensuite, ce n'est plus de la douleur, mais une sensation étrange, de croissance. J'imagine qu'on a le même genre de sensations avec la musculation, mais courir ou pédaler sur place dans une salle à la Courneuve en bouffant des protéines en poudre, ça n'a jamais été mon truc. Le bénéfice, on le ressent aussi dans les autres activités. A titre d'exemple, à la piscine, j'avais du mal à faire 10 longueurs, et il me fallait terminer à la nage petit chien; j'en fais aujourd'hui 30 sans problèmes. Il y a aussi le plaisir de maîtriser l'engin. Au tout début, uniquement au niveau de la trajectoire : aller d'un point A à un point B et refaire le chemin inverse. Puis on peut enchaîner les manoeuvres. Ce n'est pas le vent qui vous pousse (et vous fait dériver) mais vous qui utilisez le vent. Et plus le vent augmente, plus le plaisir résultant du contrôle est grand. Le mot "windsurf" prend là tout son sens. 2eme stade : la glisse La glisse. Ce n'est pas la sensation la plus immédiate que l'on ressent, à contrario du ski ou du char à voile, par exemple. Mais au bout de quelques heures de navigation, on commence à prendre des risques, mettre les deux pieds derrière le mat, se pencher en arrière et on se retrouve à filer en regardant droit devant sans regarder la voile. C'est ce qui pour moi caractérise la sensation de glisse : se mouvoir sans propulsion musculaire et sans complètement comprendre les enjeux mais en en profitant pleinement. Le harnais. Instrument barbare et dangereux au premier abord, il s'avère au bout de quelques temps un accessoire précieux. Le fait de s'accrocher au harnais, en suspension, permet de moins fatiguer, de tirer de plus long bords ( si le plan d'eau le permet) et de naviguer plus longtemps avant de souffrir des bras. Quand le vent monte en puissance, il devient rapidement indispensable, car il devient très physique, pour ne pas dire impossible, d'enchaîner la succession de relevage de la voile puis la tenue de celle-ci sur des bords de 200m. Grâce au harnais, la navigation devient enfin confortable. Le planning. Le premier planning est en général un accident : on file à la limite du contrôle, quand soudain, la planche devient comme plus raide, on est au dessus de l'eau, d'abord verticalement, puisque la planche s'est décollée de la surface, mais aussi latéralement puisque l'on se penche en arrière pour contenir la puissance de la voile. Le contrôle change : alors qu'il faut de grands mouvements de la voile à bas régime pour faire virer la planche, le contrôle devient très sensible, la pression des pieds devient très importante et on dirige le flotteur en appuyant sur la pointe des pieds ou les talons. Les vagues : des sensations terribles. On glisse au fil des vagues, en montant, en descendant, et garder son équilibre une fois en mouvement n'est pas très compliqué. Pour les skieurs, on éprouve le même genre de choses qu'en descendant une pente dans la poudreuse ou en se faisant un petit hors piste dans les sapins: une sensation unique, où on se laisse porter tout en maîtrisant la situation. 3eme stade : la pratique - le funboard Au bout d'un certain temps, on acquiert une certaine aisance, et l'on a appris toute les manoeuvres de base : beachstart, virement de bord, planning. Tomber à l'eau n'est plus une fatalité et notre position est devenue plus esthétique. Bien connaître une manoeuvre fait que l'on craint moins le déséquilibre et donne de la fluidité à nos mouvements. Il ne reste plus qu'à pratiquer et acquérir les piliers du funboard : waterstart, jibe. Le planning devient une raison de naviguer : on le recherche, on ne sort plus à moins de 12 noeuds, on monte une voile de taille suffisante à décoller la planche de l'eau et on cherche un planning au démarrage le plus précoce possible. Tout est bon : grosse voile, pumping, harnais et appuis légers. |
S'il y en a parmi vous qui veulent partger leurs impressions, surtout à leur débuts, ne vous genez pas !!